“My curiosity is perhaps the character trait of which I am most proud. The most successful people I have known along my journey to this richer and fuller life share this one critical character trait – boundless, near insatiable curiosity” – W. Randall Jones, The Richest Man in Town

“Curiosity is, in great and generous minds, the first passion and the last.” – Samuel Johnson

In describing myself, I’m not sure I would have ever chosen that word, but as I ponder it now, I think curiosity is what underlies all my interests – from global exploration (we are in Taipei as I type) to documenting the most mundane of things around me and of course, the big questions – why am I here, what is the purpose of life and can I start and run a business? Thankfully my partner in this venture, Frank, is like Curious George himself – his hungry eyes constantly seeking out anything that might be the slightest bit mysterious or unknown whether it’s the mysteries of the deep sea, black holes in outer space, a bunch of PHP and Drupal code, how Intel chips are made or trying to figure out what constitutes the best waffle ever.

I suspect that many entrepreneurs are curious people, and that most visionaries must be driven by that same underlying force that Da Vinci was so famous for. So now I’m wondering… has curiousity driven you to do anything extraordinary in your life? Has curiousity led you to try new activities, bizarre foods, uncommon paths? Or do you push yourself just because you are curious about your own limits? Let us know! Other people’s stories about what drives them are fascinating and often inspiring – please share yours.

One Response to “Curiosity”

Deanna McNeilJun 04, 2009

When my daughter was born, I was determined to make sure she was a well balanced person. I took classes in baby brain development and I have never forgotten the lessons learned there about how important it is to brain development that the foundation be there to grow to the next level. So before you can walk, you have to learn how to roll over, sit up, creep, crawl, cruise and finally walk.

I find that I am good at fostering a community and it is a never ending source of interest and curiousity to observe what makes a community tick and how to move & excite them. Communities too need to grow incrementally, so learning how to walk a community through steps to maturity piques my intent interest to no end. People always make me curious & inspire my passion.